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Weapon	By : uqui Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Voldemort Views: 105432 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 26
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Yes, this is late.

I know it's late but I'm not going to bore people with the myriad of reasons as to why this occurred except to say that it's not because wrote myself into a hole. I know how Possession will end, and I know the plot line to get there. Other things happened.
That is all - enjoy this chapter.
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Weapon (Possession Chapter LXXXIII)

Chapter XXXII � The Time In-between

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Ollivander blinked almost owl like silver eyes in the pre-dawn darkness. It was nearly complete. Soon Dumbledore would have his Weapon but right at the moment, the wand maker didn't care... truth be told, he didn't really care at all. The war was not something that concerned him and while he would be interested in seeing Mr Potter, that would happen in time. Right now, he was more interested in the man before him.
Dumbledore, Snape, Lupin and Black had escorted Mr Potter to his shop for the boy's Coming of Age Ceremony, and while they could do nothing even if young Harry was in trouble, he had agreed that they could keep vigil through the night, just in case... He'd created his shielded work room, and all he could sense was that there were two beings inside. He could not sense anything else, so Ollivander didn't really understand what Dumbledore thought could be done but it had placated the wizard and so he'd allowed it. They'd taken turns and right now it was Harry's Godfather who was sitting across from him, dozing.
It was that action which was piquing his interest. The others had been wide awake and tense, the stress of day, and the worries they felt clearly evident. They had all be worried about the future. Mr Black on the other had was calm and composed enough that he could sleep even with everything that was happening. That was fascinating in and of itself. Of all of them, the wand maker had expected Harry's guardian to be the most concerned, especially when the completion of the Ceremony would see the expectation that his Godchild would now enter the war. Yet the man was composed enough to simply nod at Ollivander when he had relieved Remus before he'd settled, stretching his legs out and fidgeting for a few moments until he was comfortable, then dozing off.
He was sure of the future.
Silver eyes narrowed carefully examining the canine animagus as the wand maker considered the aura of the man... He was sure of the future and his faith was absolute. That was why he could sleep.
There was a flicker, just for an instant, of pitch darkness in the thin light and Ollivander shook his head, blinking quickly as he suddenly understood. That explained why Mr Black could sleep while the others had been distracted.
Dumbledore had been tense although the feeling had been well concealed by the ancient wizard. The Hogwarts Headmaster though had been expecting an attack and Ollivander had been somewhat amused. The Dark Lord was involved but it appeared that Dumbledore still had things to learn about his former student. Mr Riddle had rarely been so obvious as to do the expected.
Lupin had been preoccupied, his features marred by a frown for his entire watch. He had been as polite as always, chatting briefly with the wand maker but his mind had been elsewhere. The silver eyed man hadn't heard about anything happening within the werewolf community but then his sources weren't going to be as up to date as a werewolf themselves... there could be something... there probably was something... Both the Dark Lord and the Ministry were probably already vying for support but such a thing had happened in the past... Lupin seemed too concerned for it to be that alone. Whatever happened, the wand maker knew he would hear about it in time.
Snape had been worried, and the expression had been so out of place on the Potion Master that Ollivander almost hadn't recognised it. The man had always seemed collected every other time their paths had crossed although the wand maker hadn't missed the man's small start of surprise when they had accompanied Harry. It didn't take much to realise at least some of what the problem was. The Dark Lord or the Order... eventually he would have to chose, add into the mix the Shadows and something had to give.
Ollivander sighed, thinking back. He didn't like giving advice and in the end he wasn't sure if the Potion Master had listened but the simple reassurance that everyone had their task had seemed to bolster Snape... Although Ollivander knew that nothing would truly calm the man until everything was over, until he had decided one way or another which was the path he would follow and for that he suspected that there was only going to be one way that lead to survival. The interest of the Shadows was potent and when they wanted something, they were relentless.
There were worse fates... No doubt Snape was aware of that as well...
"Severus?" Sirius asked, cracking open one eye as the wand maker's soft sigh broke him out of his doze.
"Huh?"
"Thinking about Snivilus?"
"How did you know?"
"He seems to be the topic of choice to avoid the obvious," Sirius said as he sat up, vaguely gesturing towards the back of Ollivander's store.
"Ah... You must admit, his is an interesting quandary."
"Humph!" The canine animagus snorted derisively. "Interesting or not, he is running out of time, and he is endangering everything. Neither Dumbledore or the Dark Lord will show compassion."
"True," Ollivander agreed not really concerned. He really shouldn't have expected any other response from Mr Black. He did after all know what the man's feelings were towards the Potion Master and had known since almost before their Hogwart's days. The Marauders versus Snape was the stuff of wizarding legend... well, Hogwart's Legend. "I've been expecting you to visit me," he said, shifting to a new topic. "With the announcement of your wrongful imprisonment and Ministerial Pardon, I was expecting you to see me for a new wand."
"Ah," it was Sirius' turn to use that nonchalant syllable. "My wand wasn't destroyed," he explained. "Remus kept it safe for me, or, no doubt, you would have seen me earlier."
"So that's what happened," Ollivander smiled. There had been some slight scandal around the time of Mr Black's imprisonment over the fact that no one could find his wand, but that had been lost in the greater celebration of the Voldemort's demise. After all, with the Dark Lord dead, and his right hand man imprisoned, what did it matter that his wand had not been found?
The werewolf had had it the entire time. An impressive feat that, given the rules that governed werewolves, and the problems Lupin would have faced throughout his life just keeping his own wand safe, let alone another�s. "It must be a comfort to have such loyal friends."
"It is," Sirius smiled, the expression truly happy. "It is."
Or something more than friends, Ollivander added to himself silently unsure of why he wished to keep the knowledge to himself.
Sirius rose, dusting off his pants. "Will Harry be much longer?" He asked.
The wand maker looked outside. The thin dawn light had brightened considerably and there were some goblins and wizards beginning to go about their business but it was still very early. "A few more hours yet, I think."
"Good," Sirius said with another smile, different this time, expectant. "That'll give me enough time to go collect a few things."
"You're not going to wait?"
The animagus shrugged. "I'll be back before Harry's ready. Besides, they'll tell me if there is anything wrong."
Ollivander�s eyes narrowed at the statement but he nodded affably, flicking a finger to unlock the door as Sirius approached it. It was unusual for anyone so deeply involved with the shadows to admit it so openly. As the man drew his hood and walked out into the street he looked back at the dark corner where a shadow was residing. "You'd tell him?" He couldn't help but question.
::We'd tell him although right at the moment, as you already know, no matter what happened, there is nothing he could do.::
"Ah." Ollivander let the matter drop delicately as he stepped back towards the counter, trusting his sign to flip itself over on this new business day. From what he could sense from his shielded room, Mr Potter wouldn't be awake for a little while yet.
---
Snape stared at the fire as he tried to control his shivering. He still remembered Ollivander�s deceptively simple words that everyone had their task... Far from comforting him, the words had just brought back memories of his last visit to the Dark Lord. It had been, from his point of view, an unmitigated disaster. The only way it could have been worse was if the Serpent Lord had tried to kill him... In many ways that would have been easier because the choice of side would have been made for him.
Right now, he was still in limbo. And with the shadows seeming to haunt his every move, the choice was not getting any easier. He supposed he should have expected to see a shadow in the wand makers shop. The man was so quintessential to wizarding life that there was no way they wouldn�t be watching him. One way or another, with very few exceptions everyone went to Ollivander. Maybe not for years, but the shadows were patient, they could wait years to gather their information...
But right at the moment, they were moving, just as Voldemort was no doubt preparing to, just as he knew Dumbledore would give the order to as soon as Harry was judged capable. And once all three began to move, it would be chaos.
He knew what Dumbledore had said, and he had studied the ancient texts on his own. He knew that Harry should be able to control the shadows, but the Potion Master knew that they were more than capable of acting like they were being controlled, when all the time they were playing another game. Or... it had been so long since they had had a Master, it was possible they had become fragmented.
Which ever it was, it didn�t help him because there was no way Potter would order them away from him... and that didn�t even get close to how he would raise the question with the boy. Even if he did manage to somehow tell Potter of his predicament, the cursed child would no doubt be amused, or the shadows would be whispering in his ear, something else to make everything seem reasonable. No, this was something he had to deal with himself.
Give in!
There was a whisper in his soul. It was the whisper that had lead him as an arrogant youth into the embrace of the dark. It was calling to him now, enticing him. The song that was Fawkes was combating it, and he knew better now. The Dark Lord was not the solution and could never be, no matter what he promised, no matter what he seemed to be saying. There was an inherent flaw in his being. It was well hidden but it was still there. Most called it charisma, but Snape called it hunger. There was something within the man who had once been Tom Riddle that wasn't right. It was a hunger, something that consumed everything. It was a hunger for destruction, for something that was always out of reach, and it was something that all who followed the Dark Lord possessed. No matter how hard the strove, how much they possessed, or destroyed, how much power they gained it would never be enough. Their hunger, their desire never let them see enough... all they saw and all they wanted was more.
The Potion Master started as there was a knock from the corridor. He wasn�t expecting guests, especially not at this hour. But it seemed some things couldn�t be avoided when the knock was repeated. They knew who they wanted to speak to.
�Come,� Severus called, bracing himself carefully. He didn�t expect trouble within Hogwarts but he hadn�t survived as long as he had without being cautious.
Severus frowned when he saw who was in his doorway and looked away. This was the last thing he needed now and he really didn't feel like talking to that being. His reaction though, wasn't lost on the vampire but they simply chuckled and stepped across the threshold.
"I'm sorry," Xeoaph said without a trace of guilt or remorse. "When I told Dumbledore about Ferous Base I didn't consider how it would affect his resident spy. I hope the Dark Lord wasn't too harsh on you?"
Snape decided not to answer, keeping his eyes trained on the vampire elder as the undead man gracefully sat down. Surreptitiously he shifted a potion vial in his sleeve but he knew that if Xeoaph attacked, there wasn't much he could do. He was a powerful wizard, but the vampire had centuries of experience. He wasn't really concerned about that. The vampire hadn't come for that reason and within Hogwarts he'd be stupid to try and he probably already knew that.
"It's been an interesting few days, hasn't it?" Xeoaph said conversationally as his eyes flicked over the room.
"There are no listening devices," the Potion Master snapped. "Nor recorders."
The vampire smiled easily. For a being who was supposed to be over one thousand years old he was remarkably free with his expressions. "You can never be too careful," he said unconcerned at Severus' tone.
"What do you want?"
"I thought the better question would be what do you want?" Xeoaph shrugged. "But I know you aren't going to answer that... so, in the interests of continuing a conversation, what do I want? I want to talk. I am interested in your views on one Harry Potter." The vampires eyes seemed to glow and one fang caught on his lip.
Snape started but managed to keep his expression under control as he examined the vampire with new interest.
"You are one of the few who aren't enamoured of his light and I wanted the opinion of a wizard who can see clearly."
Severus was silent for a long time, just watching Xeoaph. This could be a trap, this could be a ruse, this could be any number of things but the vampire simply sat quietly watching him in return with an almost gentle expression that showed his genuine interest. For some reason, the vampire elder really did want or need this information. But Snape wasn't sure what to say. He couldn't reveal his suspicious and he couldn't blindly parrot what everyone believed to be the truth.
Although...
This could be the opportunity he was looking for. If he could convince the vampire to raise at least some doubt about Potter in Dumbledore's mind then perhaps he could raise his suspicious and they could finally question that arrogant child on what had happened to him properly. The lack of comment from Potter about certain events did not sit well with the Potion Master but he was not in a position to question that. He needed someone else, someone Dumbledore had to listen too, to raise the initial concern.
Why was he asking this, though? Did he already suspect that something was wrong? Or was the vampire just playing some game or seeking some way to avenge his childe? Harry had apologised at Dumbledore's insistence about that but Xeoaph had waved it off, saying that the loss of his childe was troubling but that he had warned Ikhan that it was dangerous and it had seemed like all had been forgiven. But a vampire did not loose a childe that old easily... Snape knew that, Dumbledore knew that but... it seemed everyone had been taking the elders word that it was forgiven.
Perhaps until now.
A slow, almost mocking half smile appeared on Snape's face as he realised he had little choice. In the game he played... there were Master's on the field and even he was played. He'd known that but he'd always hoped he could play his own game. Not this time though, not with Potter it seemed. There were too many interested parties for him to play alone.
"Clearly?" Severus snorted the question. "That is the problem with Potter. Nothing is clear."

Xeoaph's eyes narrowed slightly but he said nothing and simply waited for Snape to continue.
"He is powerful, I will grant. And to fight the Dark Lord such power is necessary but... there are too many things that have been left unknown, too many things he needs to be questioned on. The Dark Lord is too sure of himself and such is always worrying. He has had decades to plan, he has also had Potter within his grasp. I don't trust the boy's word that nothing happened. We know the Dark Lord would not have left his enemy untouched and no one has grilled him on that."
"It is wishful thinking to believe that the Dark Lord would not have left something to control Potter's power?" Xeoaph prompted.
"Exactly. Anyone else that is relied on that much would have been questioned intensely, linked to the Order or not we would not be trusting their word so easily. Fawkes is not infallible."
"You are the proof of that?" The vampire asked slyly.
Snape snapped his jaw closed. "No... not that, but Fawkes too can be blinded by light. Hope is not eternal."
Xeoaph sat silently for a time, lacing white fingers together as he thought about what the Potion Master had said but also what he had not said. Even with the admissions, the man had been guarded. "There is much that I do no understand about Potter," he said finally. "I had thought that was simply my lack of knowledge of wizards as I have not associated closely with your kind for centuries but it appears that it is more.
"We vampires remember the last Shadow Master and we know things were very different then. The Shadows have not changed and they are not something that can be controlled by a human. All creatures of the Dark know this but you creatures of the light never seem to understand that. They cannot be controlled by the power you can wield. The Last Shadow Master... He, he understood. But not everyone understood that. We didn't until it was too late."
Xeoaph shook his head. "That is not the point. We are... we have own concerns about Potter. It is good to see that we are not the only one's to suspect. He is too powerful and he is a child. We will see through his act eventually. I know that to defeat the Dark Lord he will be needed but there is needed and needed."
The ancient vampire rose. "Thank you for your candour, Potion Master. I will speak with you again later when there is more to discuss." With a regal nod Xeoaph walked to the door and let himself out.
Snape just stared for a few moments before shuddering and gathering himself. Even though the conversation with Ollivander hadn't helped, he felt better now, a little. There was something comforting knowing that he wasn't the only one with suspicions.
"You cannot hide from us all, Potter and one day, you will slip and I will be waiting," he murmured before looking out the window. Thin dawn light stained the sky and he rose. He needed to sleep before Potter returned. He would need his wits about him.

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